Obama Returns to Hawaii at an Added Cost of Over $3 Million

In a move that is rich in irony, President Obama agreed Tuesday night to sign an emergency deficit reduction bill that does almost nothing to rein in spending and then jetted out to Hawaii to resume his vacation at an extra cost of more than $3 million to taxpayers.

The price tag is in addition to more than $4 million that is already being spent on the Obamas’ Hawaii idyll, bringing the total cost of the excursion to well over $7 million.

The added cost was incurred because by the time the Obamas return from Hawaii – whenever that is – the president will have used Air Force One to travel to Honolulu and back twice.

Obama was forced to return from Hawaii just after Christmas to complete negotiations to avoid the Fiscal Cliff, talks resulting in the bill that was passed by Congress last night. Obama resisted significant spending cuts throughout the negotiations, and the final legislation relies almost solely a new taxes to reduce the deficit.

Air Force One is known to cost about $180,000 an hour to fly. Based on an estimated 18 hours roundtrip flying time for the jet between Washington and Honolulu, the travel cost alone of Obama’s decision to return to Hawaii amounts to around $3.24 million. And that doesn’t include the price tag for the massive security operation required to move the president or the cost of the cargo plane that follows Air Force One around.

The Obamas could have saved taxpayers millions by returning from Hawaii together after Christmas and then resuming their vacation at one of the many ritzy resorts that lie outside of Washington. If the beach is a must, even a trip to Florida would have been far less expensive.

Or they could have simply stayed at the White House or Camp David, each a luxurious government-run installation, billing taxpayers a relative pittance.

Obama will get a full day of vacation in today, landing in Hawaii early in the morning.

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512 Responses to Obama Returns to Hawaii at an Added Cost of Over $3 Million

Great article. This is Obama without the filters. It´s glaring hypocrisy but ignored by the rest of the media.
By the way, wasn´t it Biden who did the negotiating ? O was in town only for some photo-ops and to hold that gloating, scornful campaign speech during the negotiations.He brings disharmony and anger wherever he goes.

no he doesn’t, he signed the NDAA which included indefinite detention for any Americans home or abroad without any rights of appeals – you know the one he said he WOULDN’T sign if it included that, last year from Hawaii in the middle of the night with zero press and fanfare…hmmm, wonder why? He’s an idiot we are stuck with for 4 more years because half this country is clueless!

You mean Obama lied about something? He went against what he promised? Haven’t I heard this several times already in the past few years?
I wish he would stop messing with our hopes and dreams…You cannot break promises and continue to be on top. Well, he could care less now..becauase, as he said himself, ‘I AM THE PRESIDENT’. He can do anything he wants now with exectuive orders… no more hope….. just hopeless..

I’ve been hoping Owebummer is fatally attacked by sharks, or chokes to death on a chicken or fish bone, or possibly smokes some deadly poisonous Mary weed while he’s in Hawaii. I know, highly improbable but I can hope!

You cretins are utterly pathetic losers. Wishing the death of the president is fundamentally un-American. It was disgraceful and repulsive when leftists did it to George W. Bush; and it is disgraceful and repulsive for civic slugs like you to do it to Obama.

Man up. Real Americans don’t whine and toss around puerile threats online like you utter and total cowards. They get up from the computer, do the hard work of real-world politics, organize, and CHANGE THE EQUATION.

No wonder conservatism is on the decline, with spineless turds like you.

Spineless turds? Just like you would be my guess, however I agree with Americans being above the pettiness. When someone is pushed beyond the extreme boundaries of their reason, then one can expect an extreme response, any dolt would know this. So get off your high horse and do what need to be done in your neck of the wood, the rest of us will do the same…just afford them their moments of grief and dispair. As it is stated, No man is an island.

No threats are being tossed around at all; just wishful thinking and I guarantee that half this country echoes their sentiments.

And be mindful of the fact that a good many of us ARE working hard to change the equation, but when you’ve got a regime in place who promises FREE STUFF for nothing while the other side promises you can get ahead if you work hard enough, the end conclusion is fairly predictable.

Your answer is still full of pejorative as well as a serious lack of knowledge. There is profound EVIDENCE, which this admin. squelched, by kingly/presidential decree, immediately after the election (by premptively making the legal route of complaint vs. resolution Unavailable to the losing contender– A dramaticly UnAmerican Activity during All of our History). Not just Barack Hussain, but his other Maoist (their self-description) legislators, are clearly attacking our Constitution. To do so IS Treason. Do you think that the Muslim Brotherhood wouldn’t execute, at the drop of a hat, Any reneging on their loyality? Where is our military, whose job it is , to protect us from All enemies, Foriegn & Domestic? We’ve been brtrayed by far more than this admin. Think on it.

Obama should have had this done before now..Genius But since he has no regard for OUR money, what does it matter to him. He hasn’t done One thing for the better interests of this country since day one, and when ya all get your tax increases and see smaller paychecks, you can blame him. Not to mention the evasive IRS forms that will be needed when you file your tax info, so they can fine you for your Non compliance with his Orders. HE is nothing more than a Dictator, bent on growing Govt so it controls every single aspect of our lives, and we are starting to see his destruction of our freedoms and rights. *

Pres 0bama left town after the bill passed and didn’t sign it. I think there is a new frequent flyer miles program. After you leave government “service” you get to fly free on govt jets and use your accumulated miles. I believe, Hillary, Panetta, Pelosi are on this frequent flyer gig also. We have four more years of this profligacy, so settle down.

Coulda signed by ‘magic pen’. Why did he even leave with the family when he KNEW he would turn around a come right back. He is so full of himself!
How can you impeach someone who is not eligible to hold the office of President? There is not a procedure for the dilemma.
We can however, according to law: http://northamericanlawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/NOTICE-TO-CONGRESSIONAL-ELECTION-CERTIFICATION-F.pdf
contact by email every Congressional Representative and Senator and and cite the above law to them. We must also call them as well, citing the same reference. We have until tomorrow to get this done and we need a multitude of people to reign down on these legislators or noting by their past behavior, they tend not to pay attention. It will take a huge effort in all states. It only takes 2 written complaints ~~~ surely we can get this done. This is a worthy effort; help please. It could be the last chance we have to save our country from total destruction. Thank-you so very much….May God Bless America!

I am afraid the lack of outright hostility, ridicule, or at least seriously questioning of this president’s travel to Hawaii TWICE in less than 2 weeks by the MSM indicates the love affair continues.
I do believe he thinks he is king. And the lack of any negative reaction by an American media reinforces this.
Maybe Piers, on his way out of the country, could weigh in on what it is like to be a royal subject, being ex-Brit and all. THAT would be moderately watchable.

The MSM is gone, QA. They jumped the shark long ago. Never again will one of the alphabet channels or the legacy newspapers question the excesses or actions of their chosen one. Now that the republicans have joined hands with the usurper and abandoned their principles, their party is gone too.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

But, here is why we are taking so long to get there;

Daniel 11:36.

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

At the risk of him thinking it flattery, Obama is indeed a character of Bibilical proportions. This is not necessarily a good thing, so is Sat@n.

Obama is God’s tool, nothing more. He serves God’s will whether it is his intention or not. Be reassured by that.

He does think he is king, or dictator/dear leader/supreme ruler/emperor — take your pick of terms. He’s flaunting it and getting us used to the new order he promisted: the fundamental transformation of America.

You don’t need to be so upset.
Really.
I know you’re not happy with the president – that’s fine. We all know that there is absolutely nothing he could do that wouldn’t make you mad…
but this kind of attitude – constant, consistent rage…
it’s just not healthy.

Hey, clowns;;The United States of America held a free and fair election on November 6. And you lost. And now you idiot conservatives scream for Obama to resign, or die, or something–like little spoiled babies who throw tantrums when they don’t get their way.

No, but God will punish him for killing thousands of innocents civilians with his drones in the Middle East and for abusing the God-given liberties of the American people. I find it odd that a man who kills so many innocent women and children in his drones strikes weeps for what supposedly happened in Sandy Hook. It’s clear this man does not value human life or liberty.

Amen to that. I am disgusted at the outright fraud disdain of the government (both sides) and the Lame Stream Media, who are very complicit in the destruction of this country. They bring us down at their own peril. If they think they can destroy the middle class with no repercussions, they are sadly mistaken.

If they implode the economy and try to take us to outright socialism, they will all pay dearly.

How so? How will we pay them dearly?
I feel pretty much like a prisoner to the leftists.
They won this election all thanks to the demented, the retarded, the dead, a couple of cartoon characters, and many many illegals

Rosemary B,
Just remember (and please invite others to research for themselves) the fact Obama “won” with 10 million LESS votes this time around than he had in 2008!

And that Romney received 3 million less votes than McCain got in 2008.

That’s 13 million voters that refused to participate in this “sELECTION” because WE are fed up with the Two Headed Beast (Dems and Repubs) that controls our electoral “process” here in the US.

And when WE examine the blatant voter fraud (Ohio for sure) and illegal (foreign) campaign contributions that Obama turned a blind eye to (accepted) without regard…
Americans are confronted with damning facts of abuse and fraud across the spectrum of the election “circus”.

However, WE are indeed waking up fast to the fact that this Communist implementer of a Fascist directed tyranny is truly “evil incarnate“.

You Sir should take some math classes. The cost of 180000 $ is based on the usual flying hours of air force one and the cost of maintaining machine, crew and all other aspects of air force one. Which means the basic cost have been there all the time the only add are fuel costs and the use of the runways which as long as in the states should not cost anything. I am all for keeping politicians in check but this kind of biased nonsensical calculations hurt the american public.

Yes, the calculation involves flawed assumptions that wildly inflate the figure. But then, they never figure in all the costs so the final number is always way off. For example, I’ve read many times that they always use a second Air Force One as a decoy. On some trips there are multiple cargo planes and Marine helicopters. If you included the salaries and travel charges for the advance planning teams, etc., the costs for a vacation like this are mind-numbing.

Yes; its not just a guy on a business trip: you must be forgetting the massive secret service entourage: advance teams;assault teams; folks.Communications folks. vehicles etc.travel/perdiem and billeting costs. Airframe,crews and maintenence.are kind of a given.

Actually his calculations are very conservative considering Air Force One is always accompanied by additional planes and don’t forget the 20+motorcade the cargo plane carries. Obama blows through our money, just spends and spends like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

FYI – The $180,00 p/hr in operating costs in what the USAF reported to USAToday and the UK Mail in 2010. So the number Keith is using comes directly from the people that operate and maintain the aircraft.

Operating costs include all aspects of keeping, maintaining, and flying the machine. Not unlike your car, when you tally the costs of fuel, oil, maintenance, insurance, wear and tear, etc. over the course of a year and divide it out over the number of hours that you use the vehicle you get the p/hr operating cost of you vehicle.

This is a rather simple explanation, but I hope that it helps you to understand the concept of “operating costs.” I am quite sure that the air force has a much more elaborate system for calculating the costs of operating any and all of their aircraft, and could tell the taxpayers to the penny how much it has cost to fly POTUS and family, but that is a state secret.

DOD provides a annual fixed wing and helicopter rate table for hourly reimbursement rates. The table is broken down into 4 categories – Other DOD / Other Federal / FMS / All Other.

In doing some research you can find out what type and amount of aircraft are used per man hour, which is different from a mission / sortie (in the military a mission = equipment that has a start and a return to base – aka “round trip).

Remember, the below reimbursement rates for an aircraft INCLUDE maintenance, fuel, and a authorized crew to fly the mission.

C-17A – (Medium Cargo Plane) To fly out the Advance Team and support members, plus other large bulky items. $14,378.00 per hour
*This could be 1 or 2 aircraft, and more than one mission as people need to get around you know)

Presidential Flyout –

VC-25A (aka AF One) – The President & Family, some imed support staff, their SS detail. $181,000.00 per hour

C-32A (aka AF2) – This is a Boeing 757, semi new to the fleet. It is the plane the VP, Cabinet Members, Special Dignitaries fly on. It is also the back up for AF One or the decoy plane. Usually it handles the rest of the support staff. $12,493.00 per hour

** Did you know the VP’s wife does not fly on AF Two fro free?? **

AF One can not be used for missions outside of supporting the President.

Additional Support Aircraft – There could be a C-17A or other aircraft floating around behind the Presidents group. Not much is said about it for security reasons.
———————————————————–

So big bucks spent in just aircraft alone to get the party out to Hawaii.

Now some other tidbits –

Aircraft used to fly to Maine for vacation – C-20C (Gulfstream III) $5,465.00 per hour

Aircraft used to fly to NY for night out – C-37B (Gulfstream). $3,273.00 per hour.

So here are some rough numbers of what it costs to move the President and staff around. You can Google for additional costs from previous trips – number of aircraft used to support the Spain trip, the Olympics trip, etc.

kai aab,
Good comment. However, since this is not a sunk cost (the aircraft could be used for other reasons), it is a relevant (an incremental cost) cost. The math done is correct; what is faulty is your application of economic principles.

The same media who endlessly bitched about GWB’s trips home to Crawford have NO problem with the millions and millions wasted on the O’s vacations to Hawaii, and the wasteful separate planes, and this return round trip by Obummer. I believe last year he took a separate plane, heading to Hawaii a bit later than Moochelle and the kids, because heaven forbid she doesn’t get in as many days of vacation as possible. Plus, I think there was at least one other year that they took separate planes.

He’ll probably get in a full five days of golf and expensive restaurants, not returning until Sunday evening since the kids don’t have to be back in school until Monday.

And just think – this is the FIFTH Hawaii vacation that’s cost us millions (2008 as President-elect, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012) and he’ll get in four more (20113, 2014, 2015, and 2016 right before he’s finally gone).

….and Mississippi….while you give out advice on vocabulary, please learn to spell or use spell checker….”seperate”? no…it is separate.. I assume you are a progressive judging by the fact that my “hypocrisy meter” was going crazy after reading your post.

So true, SnarkEsq. I’ll never forget the separate plane for BO (the four-legged one) on one of their Martha Vineyard vacations…

Guarantee he’s laughing at us all as he sips some celebratory bubbly on the plane ride back to Hawaii. He has succeeded in getting the republican party to self-destruct, and he still got another $330 Billion to bribe his union thugs for another year. Life is good for despots today.

He and his Democrat/Liberal/Leftist Party, as well as the Obama Ministry of Truth (formerly, so-called mainstream news media), are fatal malignancies that, if not excised completely and soon, will kill our Republic.

Hey America, you voted for him.. twice!!! He has been doing nothing but destroying this country for the past four years and now he has another four to continue the job. When are you going to wake up and see that he cares only for himself and not you or the USA.

AND he gives HIMSELF a raise (cause $400,000 a year isn’t enough apparently) along with Biden and Congress to add to their already bloated six figure salaries – all on the taxpayers dime. This is what the majority voted for while conservatives were too stubborn to vote for a moderate, the whole country deserves exactly what they’re about to get in the next four years as both RINOs and liberals will continue to drive towards the same agenda.

I still don’t think he needs to be paid at all. He gets everything free at taxpayer expense. How many millions is he worth now that he made prez? How many millions will he make after, if, he leaves in 2017? I don’t think any prez needs a retirement check for the rest of their life. Like wise for congress.

Well the lack of outrage or even any coverage just shows the media is largely
an arm of the Obama cabal. This is almost a state run media and that’s dangerous but I’m sure we all saw it coming with the fawning coverage of the
past four years. He’s just rubbing our face in his ‘win’ now and so is Michelle
but she’s always been a media darling. Two people spending our money with no checks or balances and the media is mostly deaf dumb and blind.

This fool just makes me sick! – Or they could have simply stayed at the White House or Camp David, each a luxurious government-run installation, billing taxpayers a relative pittance. – No No NO… MO and BO prefer that WE pay for their stupid vacation. So how many vacations have YOU enjoyed for free. It is said that you shoud hate the sin and love the sinner. I’m headed for hell because I simply cannot do this. I cannot stand this disgrace for a president.

Dictator, indeed. The silly sheeple who voted for him don’t understand this yet, but they will. Something tells me that there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the ranks of his useful idiot masses, when the time comes for him to assume full dictatorial glory.

WOW! It is amazing that the Prez would want to spend time with his family. Disgusting, when we have, you know, such grown-ups in Congress using their time so wisely.
I guess we need to elect a Prez from Maryland or New York, maybe. You know, so the Air Force One trips are shorter, for fiscal reasons.
This “article” is a joke, right?

I believe the Obamas, until he was elected president, had not spent many if any vacations on the islands. It was only when he had his own private jet (AF1) that he and the family started to spend their Christmases in Hawaii.

What a disgusting article. The basic premise; Obama does not deserve to be President. Continue your rabid, specious rhetoric Mr. Koffler. At the end of the day, no rational person listens to trash like yours anymore.

Well obviously you are, libtard.
The hnic stole the election with the help of the libtard news media. Now he jets around on MY money, you obviously do not work…you are of the ltard. He borrows money from chiny and gives it to hugo chavez (may he experience a long and agonizing cancerous death…hugo that is.)

Amazing, bobrobert. You are able to amuse and at the same time demonstrate your intellectual impairment. You must be an outstanding member of the tea party. Congratulations on your deep ignorance and bigotry.

How do the American people accept this? No president should be permitted to spend taxpayer’s money on such extravagant vacations. If the taxpayer is to pay for the president’s vacations at all, shouldn’t there be a budget set our for presidential vacations and personal spending!?

Nina, don’t you understand? Obama isn’t a typical American POTUS, rather he’s a transformational, globalist leader–our most perfect and deserving. He’s meant to be king, dictator, dear leader, supreme ruler. Get it now? This is why he flaunts it. You see, he deserves it and we deserve to serve him. We are all sheep to the slaughter — or gulags — now.

This election was the end of America as we know it. The fate of our country is now in the hands of the people that don’t even contribute. Sure there are some people on the dole that really need it…not talking about them. Keep in mind…1/2 of the population is of below average intelligence…Obama got all their votes…plus a few greenie weenies that will always vote for the Democrat. I have fretted over this fool for too long now…let the chips fall where they may. We are merely hostages…there is nothing we can do.

Mr. Koffler,
I guess you haters would love for him to stay in the White House and never come out. He doesn’t deserve to have a vacation. When Bush was having vacation time I didn’t hear any of you haters complain. I’m glad the majority of the citizens don’t think like you. Go find something else to report on. I wouldn’t send you a quarter. We don’t need you to watch the President. Worry about the billions of dollars that have been wasted on 2 wars for nothing.

Gee, I’d like to have the time and money to take a vacation – even a week or two a year would be nice. Unfortunately, I have to keep working and paying taxes so His Majesty Obozo can run and play while the country disintegrates around him. Maybe he should change his name to Nero?

Hussein Obama said he wanted to “change” the United States of America. He is accomplishing the “change”, which could be more accurately described as the destruction of the United States of America at this very moment.

Do you know how I know you are a liberal? You use specious, straw man arguments. I didn’t see anything in the article about Bush. Comparing Bush and Obama is like comparing Stalin and Hitler. Both of them are terrible.

You can’t convince a jack-onkey that the truth is in their faces. barack is unlikeable as a man and his beliefs, not because he is black. He will probably follow Hugo Chavez’s map to declare himself a dictator. He is absolutely too arrogant for words.

It was a sad thing that 51% of the electorate went to the polls Nov 6, 2012 and elected a Socialist/Communist who is determined to bankrupt this country and make a Communist dictatorship out of the ashes; But what is even sadder is how many white voters stayed home and didn’t think enough of their freedom to take a few minutes to go to the polls and send Obama back to Chicago.

$41 dollars of tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts. The American people have lost their sanity, and will lose their freedom as a result of it. They are going to deserve it, but their children and grandchildren won’t, as the destroyer returns to Hawaii to finish his billion-dollar vacation at their expense.

It is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he be cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Everyone needs to do their job in letting the Obama lemmings know that their vote has consequences. It surely has had consequences for the rest of us who realize that Obama spends money like water (on himself, that is).

The Obama worshipers will realize that as the economy tanks further (and they continue to blame republicans) that they will learn to enjoy their new standard of living. My husband and I are cutting back…cancelling two unneeded insurance policies, cutting back a movie subscription, and cancelling a sports shop (savings) membership card. We rarely if ever eat out and I prefer cooking at home. Already cancelled our local leftist rag Seattle Times. Looking for more cutbacks.

Well, after working SO hard on the economy, he *needs* some rest. And what’ $3 million, anyway. The government spends that much every 3 hours and 20 minutes…… I *would* prefer he not smirk so much, though.

disgusting- but listen if noone goes after his bad moves then he spends and runs free- it is our fault that this family is using our money without any strings attached! This family hates America and the sooner we go broke the happier they will be!

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